WOHM - how do you keep your home orderly?

[Anonymous]

If you are mopping once a week and scrubbing your bathroom then you are certainly ahead of me.

[Anonymous]

My ex is currently deployed, so I currently have my daughter 24/7 except when she's in daycare and I'm at work. As a result, my house is usually in a state of barely-controlled chaos. With the laundry, I do one of two things: either I do it all on my telecommute day while I'm working, and then fold it that night, or I do a load every night and then after a few nights, I fold all the clean laundry that's accumulated in baskets while i'm watching TV after my daughter's asleep.

Other than that, you may just need better systems of organization so you don't feel like you're surrounded by mess all the time. I have a lot of organizer baskets and bins for various stuff, and a sorter for the mail that comes in (pay, respond, file, shred, etc.) My daughter's toys and books have a designated cabinet in a corner of the living room and we pick up everything every night before bed.

I also stopped getting the newspaper - even just Sunday wasn't getting fully read every week, so it was piling up. I need to learn to just start throwing the catalogs in the recycling as soon as they come.

[Anonymous]

Also consider hiring a younger teenager as a mother's helper a time or two each week if you can. They are very cheap and can occupy your child while you get some needed chores done.